Art Exhibitions

At a particular time of the year, rain clouds roll overhead and water the land of Goa heralding the monsoon season. As beautiful as this season is, some ingredients and other things aren’t available at that time. Many locals of Goa start collecting twigs, wood, and coconut shells, and carry it home to use as firewood before the rains hit. Sheryl Gonsalves | NT GoGoaNow Here are some other ways Goans deal with the rainy season:- – Chillies: Drying red chillies (Kashmiri, musureo, Moira chillies) in the sun and storing them. – Coriander seeds/ jeera/ turmeric: Mix salt and water in a vessel. Put the coriander seeds in that water and mix well. Take it out from the water and leave it in the sun to dry. You can do the same with jeera (cumin) and whole haldi. This is to avoid insects from attacking it during the moist rainy weather. – Dry seafood: Goans store dry fish and dry prawns as there may be fish scarcity during the monsoons. – Pulses: They dry pulses like beans (vousane) and small white beans (meerulio) in the sun. – Tamarind: Remove the tamarind seeds and discard, apply salt, and pound a little […]

Music is a language everybody understands. Alvaro Pereria, the musician who has helped boost classical Western music in Goa, talks to NT GoGoaNow about his days during the past few weeks. Sheryl Gonsalves – NT GoGoaNow This Goa State Cultural Award holder spent his days mostly playing badminton, reading, and practicing classical music. He was supposed to perform at a music concert in June but it had to be called off due to the pandemic. “We worked on a whole new Schubert trio (for the concert) to try something new. It takes more than forty minutes to perform,” Alvaro reveals. They also practiced Beethoven pieces and a Mozart trio. Alvaro usually composes church music and performs at weddings but all that is now cancelled. He feels that music can help quite a lot and didn’t find the lockdown boring. He says, “Inspiration is there everyday whether there is a lockdown or not.”

Goa got to see wonderful English plays because of a certain creative lady called Isabel Vas. NT GoGoaNow catches up with her to find out what she’s been up to these days. Sheryl Gonsalves – NT GoGoaNow “During the lockdown I was alone. Traffic had stopped. Everything was completely silent. The silence brought the birds back into my garden which I enjoyed. For some days I wasn’t able to get groceries but something wonderful happened. Neighbours and other people helped me get food which was very touching,” Isabel reveals. She kept herself occupied with a bit of reading, gardening, and writing. The days were peaceful and relaxing and she used to sit quietly and enjoy the silence. Isabel reveals that she was holding auditions for a new play of hers, but it got cancelled. Having any plays now is a big question mark for her. She has noticed that people like writers, painters, and musicians have become extremely creative during these days. “Coming up with a play is a slow process so I haven’t done anything specific,” says Isabel. She misses her students at Goa University. When asked about the future, Isabel replies: “I’m looking forward to changes in this […]

Monsoon is the dearest season for everyone, especially for us who live in villages embraced by the lush forests of the Western Ghats. I love observing the changing hues of the forest. It’s the start of her new transformation, when the forest stands on the threshold of monsoon. Rain feels like a brush that paints the earth with elixir, adding strokes of vitality and creation, transforming the entire landscape, turning plateaus and forests into heaven. Before the murky clouds cover the sky, tiny harbingers of nature start scurrying here and there, carrying messages of rain even before it arrives. Creatures like bees, wasps, butterflies, moths and birds begin preparing for the rains. Their rituals unfold quietly to the tune of nature. But the little termites are the first messengers that humans actually notice, making them realise the commencement of rain. Dragonflies are seen under the open sky, hovering in swarms. Ants hurry, yet always in discipline, carrying their rice grain-like eggs, twice their size, in search of a safe new place for their younger ones. Seeing the hurry of ants reminds me of huddled humans eager to buy food grains, spices and other necessary materials from the Purumetache fest, preparing […]

With the summer temperature rising to 36 degrees Celsius by noon these days, it is time to plant ladyfingers or Abelmoschus esculenta, or bhendi, before the monsoons begin. Raising seedlings in the summer needs a source of irrigation water. Even ‘grey water’, repurposed from the bathrooms and sinks, will do. Those who don’t have adequate water for irrigation during summer, or if the land is occupied by some other crop right now, can raise ladyfinger seedlings in discarded ice-cream cups and paper teacups. These can be cut to transplant the seedling along with the ball of soil intact around its roots. Tea shops, cold drink vendors, and wedding venues are a good source for used and discarded paper cups. One can also use seedling trays and ‘root trainer’ trays, but they are an added expense and generate plastic waste. The best choice of ladyfingers for Goans is the local ‘Sath Xiramcho Bhendo’ that has a Geographical Indication or G.I. tag for Goa. Unfortunately, it is very susceptible to the Bhendi Yellow Vein Mosaic Disease or BYVMD. The work that Sheila Kumar (now Tiwari) had begun at Ela Farm in the 1990s to do a selection of seeds from plants that […]

The Marine World Summit on May 17 will include field-based learning, workshops­ and sessions on marine ecosystems RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT KURIOCITY  Marine life and coastal systems will be explored at the Marine World Summit, to be held on May 17 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Dot in the Park, Anjuna. Curated by Campus Earth, an experiential learning initiative that works with students, the summit will use field observation, art and film to help participants learn about marine ecosystems through direct, hands-on experience. The summit programme will include sessions on marine ecosystems, intertidal shore walks, conservation discussions, film screenings on marine species and habitats and workshops such as clay modelling, waste-based art and nature journaling. It will also have VR-based learning and interactive displays. There will be participation from students, teachers, scientists, artists and community members to engage with coastal ecosystems through observation, fieldwork and creative activities. “Community participation plays an important role in coastal conservation, including beach cleanliness, waste management, shoreline care and habitat protection,” explains founder, Campus Earth, Arnob Banerjee on the aim behind this summit. Campus Earth focuses on nature, biodiversity and community-based learning, taking students beyond classrooms via field visits, guided sessions and documentation-based […]

This time, we had gone to Kerala. Since we had very little time to spend there, we decided to explore something unique. I searched for remote villages near Kochi and found a village named Kumbalangi, just a few kilometres away from Kochi. The name sounded familiar to me, as I knew it from the Malayalam movie ‘Kumbalangi Nights’. The speciality of this village was bioluminescence, fondly known as kavaru in Malayalam. I had experienced the enchanting phenomenon of bioluminescence in the dense forests of the Western Ghats in Goa and the neighbouring regions of Maharashtra and Karnataka during the monsoon season. However, I was very curious to witness bioluminescence in water. Water bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon caused by microplankton that makes the backwaters glow neon blue when disturbed by the movement of water. Initially, we found it a bit difficult to arrange transport to take us there. The people whom we asked about the village wondered why we wanted to go to such a remote place. It was evening, and darkness was slowly approaching, but there was still hope glowing in our hearts. It seemed like a peaceful coastal village, mostly surrounded by churches resting quietly under the soothing […]